Shadowed Sunset
by Lionblaze and Jayfeather
Summary: "The sky was the color of blood,how could things have gone so wrong?" Watch as the Pride Landers have to deal with some other darkness,something that would make Scar tremble in horror. Will they survive this new threat or will the Pride Lands stay in darkness for all time? (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This story was created based on a character that belongs to _Vulaan Kulaas_ who writes the story with me. I hope that you guys will enjoy this one.**

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_Is this a dream? _I keep asking myself. I stare at the inert body around which everyone is gathered. I think I can hear Nala cry. I am pretty sure Sarabi is sobbing, too. I take a look at Sarafina, and I see the same thing. They are all crying, all of them, but one person-or should I say two. He doesn't even bother pretending that he cared for one single second. He didn't. He's just watching everyone, his familiar green eyes going through the crowd, and I think that he's smiling. I have to admit that I hadn't seen that one coming. He never talked about it before. It seemed to be a done deal in his mind, and I think it was the same thing in mine. Seeing him like that is weird. I think that I always wanted to believe that he wasn't such a dreamer anymore, but it seems that I was wrong. He's still craving power, and I cannot even understand how I didn't see it sooner. I spent the past years with him, trying to get to know him, having him knowing me, and somehow, I didn't see that.

I'm not angry with him. There's nothing that I can do that will change the past. Besides, maybe he was right to do what he did. That's not what I would have done, but I get why he did it. No one is going to take that throne away from him. I already knew that, but now I know that he's willing to kill to keep it.

I can still hear the lionesses cry. I try, but I don't even manage to get one single tear out. I didn't know the fallen lion very well, but the fact that I'm with them, but not sharing their pain is just another clue telling me that I don't belong. It's true, though. They're different than I. Or I'm different. It didn't seem to matter until now. Before, I loved the fact that I wasn't the same. I loved my ruddy gingery-brown pelt, my creamy underbelly, and my tail tipped with a black tuft. I loved even more the dark stripes on my body, the only memory that I had from my mother.

"Nova," an imperious voice calls.

My heat shoots straight up as I meet my father's gaze. We share the same green eyes, that's what everyone tells me.

"Come here," he demands.

I do as he says. I walk away from the pained lionesses without second thoughts. I am only hurting for Sarafina. She's been so good to me, and I don't like to see her cry.

"Father," I say as I look down, in a bow, and then I eye him. I can't read any emotion in his eyes, but I think that it's just because he's grown really good at hiding how he feels. "Is there something wrong?"

He nods, annoyed. His black mane is filled with rocks and sand. His pelt is completely covered in dust. He seems tired but the victory he just won wipes the weariness away. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him shine so bright.

"Could you tell the lionesses that I give them the right to bury him somewhere? I'll give them some time to mourn him, but don't let them forget who's King now."

I nod, and he turns around, surrounded by the hyenas that are thrilled. I don't like them that much, but they can be quite amusing sometimes. And they're my father's friends and allies. I can't despise them. It would be like hating a part of who he is, and that's not something that I can do.

I walk back to the lionesses, and I notice that Sarabi is looking at me. I don't even know if she's aware of that because there are tears in her eyes, and I think it must make the whole world hazy.

"You can bury him," I tell them. "He'll let you mourn him for a couple of days." _If he's in a good mood, _I think. If he's not, he might only give them a couple of _hours. _

"We _can _bury him?" Nala explodes. "I don't need anyone's permission to mourn the one I loved! I don't need his approval to bury him, and I will take as many days as I want! And if he's not happy with it, he can tell me himself instead of sending his daughter to do his dirty work!" She starts sobbing after that, and it's like her paws can't hold up her weight anymore, and she falls to the ground. Sarafina comes next to her, and she licks the top of her head fondly, and she whispers something in her ear. Nala nods, and she buries her head into her mother's fur. I see that scene, and it aggravates me. Why isn't Sarafina making sure that _I _am all right? She used to take care of me the way she does with Nala right now. She's not so caring anymore. Or maybe I'm just spending too much time with my father.

I look down, and I take one step back. I'm about to leave when Sarabi calls my name. I turn around, and what I see contrast with the picture of her I had in mind. Earlier, when she found out that her son was still very much alive, she was the happiest lioness in the Pride Lands. I had never seen this ... alive. And now she's gone back to what she was before, but worse. It's like her son just died another time.

"Do you think you could talk some sense into your father?" she asks me.

"Why would I?" I replicate.

She seems shocked, but she shakes her head. "I just had him back, Nova. You have no idea how painful it is. You don't know anything. I don't expect you to understand, but at least, don't pretend that we can't feel anything."

She turns her back to me, and I understand that she's done talking to me. Nala looks up, and her lovely face has turned into a huge wince of anger. "I will kill him myself," she promises. "How can he do such thing? His nephew." I have never heard Nala talking about killing someone. She hunts, yes, but she would never hurt anyone if she had another choice.

The other lionesses' roars are heard, and I think that they're ready to go to war against my father. Simba had started a war, and they're willing to finish it, even if it's the last thing that they'll do.

I'm about to walk back to my father to tell him that the lionesses have gone mad when I hear someone roaring. Somehow, it sounds familiar, but I can't quite figure out where I have heard that roar before.

I turn around, and there is a whole pride of lions standing there. Looking back, I see my father with the hyenas, ready to fight.

"Well, King of the Pride Lands, seems like you need some help to tame your lionesses." The lion that have spoken takes one step forward, and I am impressed by how fearsome he seems. His fur is a dark rose red, his mane a sandy tan, but what strikes me the most about him is his eyes. They're cold and grey, and they do ring a bell. "I would gladly help you with that."

"And why would I accept your help?" Father replicates. "I have what I want, and I don't need someone to take it away from me."

"I'm not here to be your enemy." The stranger looks around. "I see that your allies might have claws, but they won't do against lionesses. They are the meanest when they want." The way he says it makes me shiver. It's like he knows better.

He doesn't have to say anything else, the lionesses have grown tired of hearing his voice, and they have started to run towards us to attack. I'm caught completely off guard, and I think Father is, too. I see the look on Nala's face. She's out for blood. His blood.


	2. Chapter 2

Father shoots me a look before fading away. I don't even have the time to be astonished because everything is rushed. Where am I supposed to stand? Has my father even accepted the strangers' help? Even if he hasn't, they haven't waited for his approval. They are already fighting. This is going to end in a blood bath, and the lionesses will most likely all be dead. I don't know how they could survive this.

All I know is that I have no intention to fight with them. I don't understand how Father can accept their presence. They are strangers. We know nothing about them. They could be here to overthrow him for all I know. That wasn't very wise of him.

I look around and see the war raging on. I try to spot Nala, but she's vanished, too. Sarafina arrives next to me, out of breath. Her beautiful golden fur is covered in dust and has lost all her shine.

"Nova, get out of here!" she says. "Find a place to hide."

"I'm not going to hide and look at all of you die."

"No one's going to die," she promises me, but we both know that she's lying. I'm old enough to be told the truth, I believe.

She keeps urging me to find a place to hide, but I would feel like such a coward if I did what she wants me to do. I can't hide. I have to fight. Regardless to the fact that I will fight on the same side than the lionesses that want my father dead. I think that I can deal with them later. Now, we need to join forces to make sure that they don't overthrow my father.

I shake my head no. "Sarafina, I can't. It's my home that they want, too."

She gives me a sad smile, but she nods and quickly runs to help Sarabi who's struggling with two male lions. How is that even supposed to be nice of them? They're trying to kill lionesses! That's just insane. Males aren't supposed to fight with females. Especially not with Sarabi and Sarafina.

I think that they will be okay, so instead, I jump in the fight to help Zira, my father's mate. She is a really good fighter, though, so she doesn't really need much help, but she won't say no.

We've put the male K.O. after a couple of minutes. I am against killing them because that would be going as low as them, and I believe that we are better. If they think that they can just show up here and take everything that's ours, they are wrong, so damn wrong, and we'll all show them.

I suddenly spot the lion that asked my father if he needed help earlier. He's not even fighting. He's walking around, observing everyone, making sure that things are going well. He's not even paying attention to his surroundings. Anyone could jump on him right now and try to kill him. He's an easy prey. Making sure everyone's very much occupied with their own battles, I slowly walk toward him, using my claws and teeth from time to time against other lions that are fighting the lionesses from the Pride Lands.

I'm about to jump on him, but I am suddenly crushed on the ground. I feel a heavy weight on me, preventing me from getting up again. I try to bite, but my claws don't close on anything else than the wind. I try to scratch, but it isn't working either. Instead, I growl loudly, and that's when I hear another roar answering to mine. It's not a familiar one, so it must belong to one of the unknown lions. A paw is suddenly pressed hard against my throat, trying to have me choked. I try gasping for air, but I feel like my throat is being crushed, too.

I hear a familiar roar and the weight is taken off my corpse. It's Sarafina. But the lion that was on me doesn't even look at her. He's already back on his paws and he's looking straight at me. He's tall and lanky. His fur is the exact color of the sand while his mane is dark brown. Curious thing, his eyes. They're some deep orange color. And all of a sudden, it's like I'm taken back into the past. They ring a bell, somewhere in my mind, but I don't have the time to find out because he's already rushing toward me, all claws out. I won't give up without putting up a really good fight.

I'm about to start running toward him, too, when I hear Sarafina, "Nova!" she yells. "Watch out."

I turn my head back to see what's coming, and there's no one. It's just the big lion, the one that I suspect is the leader of those lions that are attacking us. He's watching me very carefully, and I get why Sarafina was scared: everything in his body indicates the will to jump and rip my head off. _Where have I seen those eyes before? _I wonder.

I only remember too late that there's another lion rushing toward me. I wait for the impact, but it never happens. When I turn my head back at him, I see him studying me, frowning, wondering.

"Nova?"

I cock my head to the side. Why does this sound so familiar?

"Who are you?"

"It's me," he says taking a few steps forward. "Don't you recognize me?"

I shake my head no. "You're mistaken me for someone else." Meanwhile, I try to tell Sarafina to do something, to just knock out the lion while he's not paying attention. But she doesn't move. She's just there, looking at them, completely frozen.

"I don't think so. It's me. Jelani."

Jelani. My eyes open widely as I take one step forward. "Jelani?"

He nods, and turns to the other lion. "Father!" he says. "It's Nova."

"I know," his father snaps.

"You know?"

It's Jelani's turn to be all confused.

"Why do you think we're here? I've been looking for her for years."

Jelani smiles suddenly as he rushes toward me and rubs his head against mine. I'm scared to admit it, but … this, him, it feels like home.

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pink penguins: Oh, thank you! :) sorry it's taken me forever to update!


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